×Heucherella plant named ‘Cumberland’

ABSTRACT

A new cultivar of × Heucherella  plant named ‘Cumberland’, characterized by its foliage that is green in color with burgundy veins, its large ovate-shaped leaves that average 8 cm in length, its white flowers in mid spring, and its tolerance to heat, humidity with good garden performance in the southern regions of the U.S.

Botanical classification: ×Heucherella.

Cultivar designation: ‘Cumberland’.

CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION

This application is co-pending with a U.S. Plant Patent Application filed for a plant derived from the same cross in the Inventor's breeding program that is entitled Heucherella Plant Named ‘Blue Ridge’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,169).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of ×Heucherella and is hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Cumberland’.

The new cultivar was derived from a controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Dahlonega, Ga. with the objective of creating new cultivars of ×Heucherella that are heat tolerant and suitable for use in southern regions of the United States. The Inventor made a cross in March of 2008 between an unnamed plant of Tiarella cordifolia as the female parent and Heuchera×villosa ‘Pinor Noir’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,434) as the male parent. The Inventor selected ‘Cumberland’ in April of 2009 as a single unique plant amongst the seedlings that resulted from the above cross.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished under direction of the Inventor by in vitro propagation in Alpharetta, Ga. in April of 2009. Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar has shown that the unique features are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and represent the characteristics of the new cultivar. These attributes in combination distinguish ‘Cumberland’ as a new and unique cultivar of ×Heucherella.

-   -   1. ‘Cumberland’ exhibits foliage that is green in color with         burgundy veins.     -   2. ‘Cumberland’ exhibits large ovate-shaped leaves that average         8 cm in length when mature.     -   3. ‘Cumberland’ obtains a height of 15 cm with blooms reaching         30 cm in height.     -   4. ‘Cumberland’ exhibits clean white flowers in mid spring that         are more typical of Tiarella than Heuchera.     -   5. ‘Cumberland’ exhibits tolerance to heat, humidity, and has         performed well in the southern regions of the U.S.

‘Cumberland’ can be compared to its parent plants, Tiarella cordifolia and Heuchera ‘Pinot Noir’. Tiarella cordifolia differs from ‘Cumberland’ in having green foliage without burgundy veins, white flowers that are tinged with pink and in blooming earlier in the spring. ‘Pinot Noir’ differs from ‘Cumberland’ in having flowers that are white in color and tinged with burgundy, reach 46 cm in height and blooming in late spring and in having foliage that reaches 25 cm in height and is burgundy in color with a silver overlay and burgundy veins. ‘Cumberland’ can be most closely compared to the ×Heucherella cultivar ‘Fan Dancer’ (not patented). ‘Fan Dancer’ is similar to ‘Cumberland’ in having green foliage with burgundy veins and in having white flowers. ‘Fan Dancer’ differs from ‘Cumberland’ in having leaves that have silver around the burgundy veins and in being less hardy for southern gardeners as Heuchera×villosa is not in its heritage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance and distinct characteristics of the new ×Heucherella. The photographs were taken of a one year-old plant of ‘Cumberland’ as grown outdoors in a garden in Georgia. The photograph on FIG. 1 provides a view of the habit and foliage coloration of ‘Cumberland’ in bloom and the photograph in FIG. 2 provides a close-up view of the foliage of ‘Cumberland’. The colors in the photographs are as close as possible with the digital photography and printing techniques utilized and the color codes in the detailed botanical description more accurately describe the new ×Heucherella.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

The following is a detailed description of one year-old plants of the new cultivar as grown indoors in one-gallon containers in Alpharetta, Ga. The phenotype of the new cultivar may vary with variations in environmental, climatic, and cultural conditions, as it has not been tested under all possible environmental conditions. The color determination is in accordance with The 2007 R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England, except where general color terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   General description:     -   -   Plant habit.—Compact, clump-forming herbaceous perennial,             mounded foliage.         -   Height and spread.—Reaches about a height of about 12 to 15             cm in height (30 cm bloom) and about 20 cm in width in a             one-liter container.         -   Blooming period.—3 weeks in mid spring in Georgia.         -   Hardiness.—At least in U.S.D.A. Zones 5 to 9.         -   Diseases and pests.—Disease free in the conditions tested,             no susceptibility or resistance to pests has been observed.         -   Root description.—Fibrous roots on woody rootstalks.         -   Branching habit.—Basal rosettes of leaves on petioles.         -   Propagation.—In vitro propagation is the preferred method.         -   Growth rate.—Vigorous. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Leaf shape.—Ovate.         -   Leaf division.—Simple.         -   Leaf base.—Auriculate.         -   Leaf apex.—Acute.         -   Leaf venation.—Primary palmate, secondary net-veined,             conspicuous with upper surface N187B maturing to N187A.         -   Leaf margins.—Lobed with 3 to 7 lobes per leaf, lobe margins             crenate with abruptly acute tips.         -   Leaf attachment.—Petiolate.         -   Leaf arrangement.—Basal rosettes.         -   Leaf orientation.—Held horizontal to petiole, slightly             ruffled.         -   Leaf surface.—Upper surface pubescent with 0.5 mm stiff             hairs, lower surface glabrous leaf blade, pubescent veins.         -   Leaf color.—Upper surface emerging 144B in color with veins             N187B; upper surface mature 137A in color with veins N187A;             lower surface emerging and maturing 194A in color.         -   Leaf size.—An average of 8 cm in length and 6.5 cm in width             when mature.         -   Leaf quantity.—About 110 per one-liter container.         -   Petioles.—Round in shape, an average of 4 cm in length;             average diameter of 3 mm, 194A in color with a base tinged             N77C, surface is densely pubescent.         -   Stipules.—None. -   Flower description:     -   -   Inflorescence type.—Numerous minute actinomorphic flowers             arranged on a branched panicle on flower scapes emerging             from the base of the rosette.         -   Inflorescence size.—Reaches an average of 20 cm in height             and 5 cm in width in full bloom.         -   Flower fragrance.—None.         -   Flower quantity.—Average of 50 flower per inflorescence.         -   Flower lastingness.—Average of 7 days per flower, individual             panicles bloom for about 3 weeks, flowers self cleaning.         -   Flower buds.—Globose to obovate, average of 2 mm in diameter             and 2 mm in depth, 144B in color.         -   Flower aspect.—Held slightly downward on pedicels held at             45° angle from rachis.         -   Flower shape.—Campanulate, with base implanted in hypanthium             where sepals, petals and filaments are fused.         -   Flower size.—Average of 5 mm in length and 4 mm in diameter.         -   Petals.—About 5, narrowly elliptic in shape and emerge from             between sepals in hypanthium, margin is entire, apex is             abruptly acuminate, about 3 mm in length and 1 mm in width,             upper and lower surface is glabrous, color of upper and             lower surface when opening and fully opened is NN155C, color             of both surfaces fades to N155D.         -   Calyx.—Campanulate, sepals fused at base to 1 mm hypanthium,             5 mm in diameter and 4 mm in depth.         -   Sepals.—5, un-fused portion broadly oblong in shape, average             of 3 mm in length and 2 mm in width, margin is entire, apex             is broadly acute, based is fused, surface densely villose,             color of upper surface; 145A at apex and 145D at base; color             of lower surface;138C at apex and 193C at base.         -   Peduncles (flower scape).—Average of 30 cm in length and 6             mm in width, color is 144B, surface pubescent, held at about             20° from vertical.         -   Rachis.—Average of 1 cm in length and 1 mm round, densely             pubescent, distal end 144B in color and 71A towards base of             rosette.         -   Pedicels.—Average of 1.3 cm in length and 1 mm round,             densely pubescent, distal end 144B in color, held at 20° to             peduncle.         -   Gynoecium.—2 Pistils, club-shaped, about 5 mm in length,             stigmas minute and 155C in color, styles are continuous with             ovary, about 4 mm in length and 155C in color, ovary is             superior and 155C in color.         -   Androecium.—Average of 5 stamens, if present, sometimes             vestigial, anthers are ovate in shape, basifixed, about 0.2             mm in length and 155B in color, filaments are 5 mm in length             and 155C in color, no pollen was detected.         -   Seed.—Seed development of the new cultivar has not been             observed. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of ×Heucherella plant named ‘Cumberland’ as herein illustrated and described. 